Latinos, like me, rewarded Obama with our vote. In 2008: because he warmed our hearts. In 2012: because we believed his second term would free him to get immigration reform done, regardless of Republican obstructionism. But the hope he inspired has spiraled into hopelessness.

Maybe it's because the studio movies at this time of year are so universally dreadful, but I find myself drawn to the smaller films that bite and snarl and generally have bad manners: Bad Words, The Raid 2 and, this week, Dom Hemingway.

It may seem unimaginable to witness an event that brings together HIV and AIDS education in Africa, bone marrow transplants, celebrities and soccer for people of all ages. That's what happened, however, at LAFEST last Sunday.

Fresh from his Oscar-nominated performance in 2011's A Better Life, the charming Demián Bichir talks about working with director Ian Power, filming in West Cork, and checking things off his professional bucket list.

Robert Rodriguez's commitment to remaining an "outsider" safely distanced from Hollywood has provided him considerable independence, influencing both how he taps into his creativity, as well as how he applies it through the craft of filmmaking.

This year Demi&aacuten Bichir from Mexico received best actor Oscar nominations. While Bichir deserves to win, it is unlikely perhaps because Oscar voters are 94% Caucasian and Latinos are less than 2% of the Academy's voting members.

A Better Life may not end the death and heartache of those squeezing into America for a future, but it does tell their story. Ignorance does not survive in A Better Life. It can't survive in an evolved America.